Rationale for Strategic Choice and Risk Identification Selection

Rationale for Strategic Choice Risk Identification
Anthony Foster
STR/581
January 7, 2012
Brian Dufrene
Any firm that wants to be successful has to be able to examine the leadership, functions and long term objectives, in order to stay competitive and sustainable. If a comprehensive strategic plan is thoroughly created, this can be the difference in how long or short life span the firm can have. However, with our changing domestic and global economy, the best laid plan, at the time of its inception, still has be reviewed, and renewed as the market warrants.
The firm that I chose was the church that I currently attend. As a small church with aspirations of growing into something much bigger, not necessarily ‘mega-church” size, but to definitely increase the membership by substantial numbers. As a small church and a leadership team that consists of about 10 devout members in position to make decisions for the church, my goal at creating a strategic implementation plan was a little challenging. And though challenging it was, it also allowed me to look more thoroughly and some of the internal and external forces that have created the dismal returns, (new membership), and competitive advantage that our environment proves to be able to succeed in much better than we can (retention of members).
Having a thorough internal and external environmental assessment, the next step to take was to create a plan based on the mission, values and goals of the church. This is the plan that creates the best strategy to use to move the church forward. This strategy is the set of ideas and choices that provides the strategic management process for the church in hopes of sustaining its future in the environment of which they are a part of. The process is clear, however, the objectives that need to be met and the implementations of those processes are the greatest challenge.
One of the Grand Strategies chosen as a long term objective was the “horizontal integration” strategy. This concept was chosen based on the environment that the church is in. There are many smaller churches within the vicinity of our current church. These churches have fewer members than we have and seem to becoming smaller and smaller over time. The goal is to create a buzz, through membership drive and visualization of the current member status that we have. As potential “new clients/members” began to witness the influx of the growing number of parishioners, the horizontal effect could give us the competitive position that we must have in order to compete. As a church, the ultimate goal is never to be a profitable enterprise as it relates to general business practices, however, the profits (tithes and offerings) that a church creates, allows that entity to be more socially responsible to the community that they serve. This is one the reasons why the horizontal integration strategy best supports the community as a whole because it doesn’t seek to displace...